Easy Japchae (Korean Glass Noodle Stir Fry)
Bright, colorful japchae, or Korean glass noodles is made with a bouncy sweet potato starch noodles, vibrant sauteed vegetables, tender beef and coated in a sweet, savory and umami sauce.
Servings 4
Calories 503kcal
Ingredients
Beef Marinade
- ½ lb rib eye steak sliced into 2 inch long pieces
- 2 clove garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar packed
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Japchae Sauce
- 5 tablespoon soy sauce
- 2 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar packed
- 1 ½ tablespoon honey
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Glass Noodles and Stir Fry
- 7 oz dangmyeon Korean sweet potato glass noodles
- 4 cups (5 oz) baby spinach
- 4 cloves garlic minced about 1 heaping tablespoon
- ½ onion thinly sliced
- 3 stalks green onion sliced into 2 inch pieces
- 6-7 shiitake mushrooms stems removed and sliced
- 1 carrot peeled and julienned
- 1 red bell pepper thinly sliced
- 2 eggs lightly beaten
- Salt to season
Garnish
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
Instructions
Beef Marinade
- Marinate the beef. Place the sliced beef into a bowl and add the minced garlic, soy sauce, sugar, and black pepper. Mix and cover for 15-20 minutes to marinade.
Japchae Sauce and Noodles
- Mix the sauce. In a mixing bowl, mix together the soy sauce, sesame oil, brown sugar, honey, and ground pepper. Mix until the sugar is dissolved.
- Cook the noodles. Bring water to a large pot to a boil. Cook the noodles according to the package instructions. Then drain and rinse under cold running water. Roughly cut the noodles with kitchen shears to shorten the noodles.
Vegetables and Beef
- Blanch the spinach. Fill a pot with water and bring it to a boil. Blanch the spinach until just wilted, about 30 seconds. Then drain and shock with cold water. Squeeze out any excess water, gently season with salt, and cut into bite-sized pieces. Transfer to a large mixing bowl.
- Saute onions, garlic, and mushrooms. In a large skillet over medium heat, heat cooking oil and saute sliced onion, and green onion. Cook until translucent and fragrant about 1-2 minutes. Then add the sliced mushrooms and lightly season with salt. Cook for about lightly softened about 1-2 minutes. Remove and transfer to the same large mixing bowl.
- Saute bell pepper and carrot. In the same skillet over medium heat, heat cooking oil, add the carrots and bell pepper, and lightly season with salt. Cook for about 1-2 minutes or until lightly softened but still crisp. Remove and transfer to the same large mixing bowl.
- Cook the eggs. Lightly whisk the eggs with a pinch of salt. In the same skillet over medium heat, heat a thin layer of cooking oil and add the eggs. Lift the pan and spread the egg out into a thin omelet. Then flip and transfer to a cutting board, gently roll the egg, and cut into thin strips. Transfer to the same large mixing bowl.
- Cook the beef. Lightly oil the skillet over medium-high heat, add the beef, and cook on each side until cooked through about 1 1/2-2 minutes. Remove from the heat and transfer to the same large mixing bowl.
- Season the noodles. In the same skillet over medium-low heat. Add the noodles and the sauce. Stir fry the noodles while stirring frequently until translucent and the sauce is all absorbed. About 3-4 minutes. Remove from the heat and transfer to a large mixing bowl.
- Finish and serve. Add the sesame seeds, gently mix together everything into the noodles to combine, and serve immediately. Enjoy!
Notes
- Prepare the ingredients in advance. This japchae recipe is an easy dish to make if you have all the ingredients prepped before you begin cooking.
- Boil and saute simultaneously. To save time, boil the noodles and blanch the spinach while you are individually sauteing the vegetables.
- Avoid overcooking the vegetables. The vegetables should be crisp and slightly crunchy for textural contrast to the chewy glass noodles. Taste the vegetables to test for doneness!
- Cut the noodles! Cutting the Japchae glass noodles will tremendously help you toss everything together at the end.
- Gently heat the noodles with the sauce until absorbed. Use medium-low or low heat to cook the noodles in the sauce. We want the noodles to be warm enough to absorb the sauce but not too hot to burn off the delicious sesame oil flavor.
- Storage Instructions: This Korean glass noodles recipe is best served immediately. However, you can store any leftover japchae noodles in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Nutrition
Calories: 503kcal | Carbohydrates: 67g | Protein: 20g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 116mg | Sodium: 1634mg | Potassium: 681mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 16g | Vitamin A: 6671IU | Vitamin C: 52mg | Calcium: 115mg | Iron: 4mg